After the divorce, he took care of his child and sold fried rice; his ex-wife was filled with regret

Even before the door was fully opened, that unique fragrance wafted out first.

Lin Fan was wearing his signature white chef's uniform, and he was still carrying the small blackboard he used to write the menu.

"Boss Lin! It's finally open!"

"Help! Let us in!"

The crowd was like a pot of boiling water, instantly boiling over.

Lin Fan didn't say anything, but walked to the door and hung the small blackboard in that conspicuous place.

Several sharp-eyed diners in the front row immediately noticed the extra line of words on the blackboard.

It was written in white chalk, the handwriting vigorous and powerful, conveying a sense of determination.

【New Arrival Today: Iced Jade Plum Juice】

Price: 88 yuan/cup (unlimited quantity, while supplies last)

Dead silence.

The crowd, which had been noisily trying to rush in, seemed to have been put on pause and instantly froze.

After a few seconds of silence, what erupted was not cheers, but an incredulous chorus of boos and complaints.

"Eighty-eight?"

Fatty Wang wiped the oil and sweat from his face, stared at the blackboard with wide eyes, as if the numbers on it could bite him.

"Boss Lin, did you misplace the decimal point? It's eight yuan and eighty cents, right?"

A young man wearing glasses next to him also pushed up his glasses, looking completely puzzled.

"Plum juice? Eighty-eight yuan a cup? That price... isn't it a bit outrageous?"

"That's right!"

A commotion began to stir in the crowd. Everyone there was a regular customer, and they had no doubt about Lin Fan's culinary skills, but the price was certainly a nerve with many.

"Boss Lin, let's be fair," a middle-aged man in a polo shirt said, frowning.

"We'll accept your soup dumplings selling for several hundred yuan, because each bite is filled with meat and soup, and it's made with real skill."

"We'd accept your fried rice for fifty, since the rice and eggs are definitely different."

"But this plum juice..."

The middle-aged man pointed to the next room, "Isn't that just plum water with some sugar? My old lady knows how to make this stuff, it only costs a few dollars a pot."

"You're selling this cup for 88 yuan? Isn't that a bit too much of a markup?"

"Yeah, isn't this just a regular drink?"

"Although Mr. Lin's food is delicious, I definitely wouldn't buy this if it were just ordinary plum juice."

"Eighty-eight for a cup of water? I'm not a sucker."

Complaints and criticisms abound.

Although everyone is a fan, they are not stupid.

In most people's minds, plum juice is a cheap drink to cool them down in the summer, and it's even offered as a free, unlimited refill in hot pot restaurants.

This is like suddenly seeing someone selling boiled water at the price of Moutai; your first reaction would definitely be to object.

Of course, there were also dissenting voices in the crowd.

"What's all the noise about?"

A little girl dressed in Hanfu was a bit unhappy.

"Don't buy it if you think it's too expensive! When has Boss Lin ever ripped off anyone? If he dares to sell it for eighty-eight, there must be a reason why!"

"Exactly!" an older man next to him chimed in.

"They've clearly marked the prices, and there's no forced buying or selling. If you want a two-dollar drink, go next door and don't block my way from eating noodles!"

"Boss Lin, give me a bowl of beef brisket noodles! And this plum juice... cough cough, let me take a look first."

Although the uncle was stubborn, he ultimately didn't dare to order directly.

Lin Fan stood at the door, listening to the discussions, his face remaining expressionless.

He doesn't need an explanation.

The products produced by the system never need to be defended with words.

"Open for business."

He casually uttered four words, then turned and walked into the store.

Although the crowd complained verbally, their actions betrayed their true feelings.

After queuing for more than an hour, I can't just give up my noodles for a cup of plum juice, can I?

So the line began to move slowly.

"Boss, one bowl of Supreme Beef Brisket Noodles!"

"Two baskets of steamed buns!"

"I want fried rice!"

The sounds of orders being placed rose and fell, and the cashier's notification beeping never stopped.

but.

A full half hour has passed.

Hundreds of people came and went, but the bucket of plum juice, which was placed in a conspicuous position and was emitting a slight chill, did not sell a single cup!

Everyone selectively ignored it.

Some people even went to the milk tea shop next door to buy a five-yuan cup of lemonade to bring in after ordering noodles.

"Boss Lin, it's not that I'm not supporting you."

Fatty Wang sat in the corner, slurping his noodles, sweating profusely.

"It's so hot today, I'm covered in sweat, and those sour drinks don't quench my thirst at all! I'd much rather have iced lemonade!"

The owner of the milk tea shop next door was standing at her door, fanning herself with a tattered palm-leaf fan. Watching the awkward scene in Lin Fan's shop, she laughed so hard that the powder on her face almost fell off.

"Oh my god, that's hilarious!"

She said to the passersby in a sarcastic tone, "See? That's what happens when you get arrogant! Do you really think you're a culinary genius?"

"Eighty-eighty-eighty-eighty-eighty-eighty-yuan cup of plum juice? Looks like Mr. Lin's reputation is going to be ruined today!"

"Come on, have some lemonade! It's only 2.5 yuan a cup, made with the real stuff, no fancy stuff!"

When she called out, quite a few people who were in line actually went to buy her water.

Lin Fan was busy cooking noodles in the kitchen. He saw what was happening outside, but he didn't care at all.

The ingredients are right there.

Those who understand will understand.

You can't force someone who doesn't understand.

It was noon.

The sun was scorching hot; the asphalt on the ground seemed to melt, and the air was filled with a dry, dusty smell.

The queue stretched all the way to the side of the road.

With no shelter, everyone was exposed to the scorching sun.

"Why is the weather so stuffy today..."

At the end of the line, a female college student in a white dress looked a little off.

She is a sophomore at a nearby university.

I heard the soup dumplings here are delicious, so I made a special trip to queue up since I didn't have any classes.

But she underestimated the lingering heat of late summer in Jiangcheng.

She hadn't eaten breakfast and had been exposed to the sun for over an hour. At this point, she felt the scenery in front of her begin to sway, and her ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton, buzzing.

"Excuse me, are you alright?"

An older woman in the queue behind her noticed that she was unsteady on her feet and kindly asked her a question.

The girl opened her mouth, wanting to say "It's okay," but her throat was so dry it felt like it was on fire, and she couldn't make a sound.

Immediately afterwards, a strong feeling of dizziness suddenly struck.

The world spun around.

My vision went black instantly.

"Thump!"

A muffled thud.

The girl fell straight down onto the scorching cement floor like a kite with a broken string.

"ah--!"

A scream erupted from the crowd.

"Someone has fainted!"

"Quickly! Scatter!"

"This girl has heatstroke!"

The once orderly queue instantly turned into complete chaos.

People scattered in panic, leaving an empty circle.

The girl lay on the ground, her face deathly pale, her eyes closed, her lips cracked and peeling, her chest heaving violently, as if she couldn't breathe.

"Hey! What's wrong?"

The older woman was so frightened that she didn't know what to do; she wanted to help but didn't dare to.

"Are there any doctors around?"

"My God! The ground is so hot! Quick, help him up!"